


What Yamcha Realizes

by gotsnolegs



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:03:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4897420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotsnolegs/pseuds/gotsnolegs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamcha has difficulty coming to terms with Bulma and Vegeta's relationship. He explores five different scenarios across ten years while he pieces together a picture that makes sense. As he gains insight to Bulma and Vegeta's life together, he begins to reconcile his own ideas of the prince with who the prince actually is, and grows to accept their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Yamcha Realizes

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of the characters associated with the manga, anime, or movies.

What Yamcha Realizes

I. 

Yamcha stands hesitantly at the door, his fingers pulling uncomfortably at the hem of his jacket. His gaze rests on his shoes, which he wipes surreptitiously on the faded “welcome” mat. He should have bought new shoes, he realizes belatedly, noticing a scuff mark on the worn brown leather. For a moment, he considers leaving and coming back later – with new shoes, and perhaps a new jacket as well. A proper blazer, not the casual fall bomber he wears now. His nerve is failing him.

He swallows hard and forces himself to rap on the door: a sharp, loud knock conveying a confidence he does not feel. He squares his shoulders, trying to trick himself into feeling positive, but as the knock falls quiet and the time stretches on without the door being answered, he begins to silently fall apart again.

He thinks about knocking again but also thinks about leaving. Perhaps nobody is home, and it would be foolish to waste more of his time standing here waiting for no one. He is torn, hesitating between knocking once more and heading back to his car, when he hears thumping from within the house.

A muffled “I’m coming!” drifts out towards him, and he feels his adrenaline crank up another few notches.

Once, Yamcha had been this nervous around girls. Once, he had wanted nothing more than to have the confidence to interact with them. Once, his biggest goal in life was to get married. That had been a long time ago. He is an adult now, with much more experience, but somehow Bulma always makes him nervous. Especially when she is angry.

Which she was, the last time they saw one another.

That had been months ago – over a year, in fact. She can’t possibly still be angry.

He hears the lock slide open, and suddenly the door is pulled inward, revealing the woman in question, her head peering around the door. It is only the briefest of moments before she recognizes him and a smile lights up her face when she does.

She looks radiant. Her hair has grown out, Yamcha notes, but some of the waves from her perm still remain towards the end, curling softly around her shoulders. She is blue, so blue: her sparkling eyes, her cascading hair. Like a mermaid, he thinks, and not for the first time. He always secretly thought of her as a mermaid: singing her siren song to him, but always just out of his reach. At the sight of her positively glowing, Yamcha’s own lips split into a wide grin.

“Yamcha!” she greets happily, stepping out from behind the door to greet him properly.

Something on her body catches his eye, and his gaze is pulled downwards. The smile slips from his face. His reply catches in his throat. He isn’t sure, but he suspects his jaw has dropped to the floor.

She is pregnant.

Suddenly, she is holding herself uncomfortably, crossing her arms across her body as though that can hide the unmistakable bump in her belly. “Surprise!” she exclaims, but it is awkward and disingenuous.

It takes Yamcha several long moments to find words. “You’re… pregnant!” He states the obvious with an enthusiasm he doesn’t actually feel, and there is too long of a pause before he follows up with, “Congratulations!”

He is ushered inside and seats himself on the couch. He is offered a drink or a snack, both of which he refuses. What exactly is he doing here? How can he possibly win back a woman who has not only moved on to a new relationship, but is clearly planning a future with someone else? His mouth his dry but his palms are sweaty.

When Bulma has slid into a nearby chair, adjusting herself to get comfortable, Yamcha says, “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

She shakes her head. “No. No one does.” Yamcha knows that by no one she means the Z Fighters. Obviously her family knows, and her doctors.

He forces another smile onto his face. “Why not? This is such exciting news!”

Bulma’s returned smile is nearly as forced as his own.

Yamcha peers at her closely. “Not exciting?”

“Oh, no, I’m excited,” she says, and he can see it in the way her face changes when she thinks about it that she is eagerly anticipating her bundle of joy. “I am excited to be a mother. I think it will be good for me, and so wonderful to have a baby…” Her lips tighten. “But please don’t tell anyone. Not yet.”

Yamcha continues to frown at her. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t want to create a distraction from training,” she replies, but this sounds like an excuse.

“I think everyone would welcome a distraction, especially one like this,” Yamcha says encouragingly. He doesn’t know why, but he can’t shake the feeling that there is something more than this pregnancy occurring in Bulma’s life. When her eyes narrow, he quickly adds, “But I won’t say anything if you really don’t want me to.”

She nods, relaxing and settling back into her chair. “Thank you. Now just isn’t a good time to announce it.”

They lapse into silence once more, and Yamcha tugs at his shirt. Finally he asks, “So tell me about him.”

“Pardon?”

“Your new boyfriend… the father…” He gestures towards her stomach. “How did you meet him?”

Bulma visibly cringes at the question, and Yamcha immediately regrets asking. Perhaps this is the “something more” going on. She shifts uncomfortably in her chair, and Yamcha is certain that it is not her pregnancy that is causing her discomfort.

“Is something going on?” he asks, concerned. “You can tell me, Bulma.”

She shakes her head slightly, but then looks him squarely in the eye. “I… I do want to tell someone,” she admits, “but you have to swear to secrecy. At least for now. Okay?”

A secret pregnancy. A secret boyfriend with a secret identity. She is not the Bulma he left behind a year ago. Something is troubling her. Yamcha senses she has gotten herself into a bigger mess than she knows how to deal with – perhaps a first, for her. So he nods, promising to keep whatever she tells him just between them until she is ready.

He waits while she takes a deep breath, then says, “It’s Vegeta’s.”

Yamcha is certain he has misheard. “Excuse me?”

“Yes,” is all she says.

Yamcha’s heart simultaneously stops and speeds up. A wave of shock has literally trounced him and he knows he is gaping at her incredulously. The man who came to Earth to murder them all – who successfully killed Yamcha – is the father of Bulma’s unborn child? Yamcha’s surprise turns to anger, and as his jaw tightens Bulma has the decency to look ashamed.

“How?” he sputters. How could she let this happen? How could Vegeta let this happen? How long has this been happening? How does she plan to explain this to the others when the truth inevitably comes out? How does she plan to raise a half-Saiyan child with a monster? How desperate, how out of control must she feel to decide to sleep with Vegeta?

But Bulma doesn’t answer any of these unspoken questions. Instead she just shrugs.

“Where is he?” Yamcha grinds out.

Her hand waves flippantly. “Gone. Training.” There is a moment of hesitation before she confides, “I’m not sure if he’ll ever be back.” Her tone is casual but her eyes betray her – those clear, bottomless eyes that reveal her every emotion. She is devastated.

“Do you love him?” Yamcha practically spits at her.

She hesitates again before shrugging. “I’m not sure,” she says. “Love is quite a strong word. I don’t think so.”

“But you care for him.”

Again, a pause. Then, “Yes.”

Yamcha is seething but cannot articulate his rage. Not right now. So he stands up and retrieves his jacket. “I came here to make amends,” he says stiffly. “I wondered if perhaps there may be a way for us to get back together. I can see now that that’s out of the question.” He goes to the door while Bulma struggles to lift herself out of the chair. “Good luck,” he tells her, his hand on the doorknob. “I hope it goes well for you.”

He is gone before Bulma is fully standing.

II.

The mysterious youth from the future is theirs. This secret is revealed pretty early. Trunks has no more reason to hide his identity now that his baby counterpart exists. Yamcha takes an immediate dislike to him. His colouring is fair like Bulma’s, but he wears Vegeta’s expressions too easily for Yamcha’s liking. Later, Yamcha retracts his initial judgment of the boy. Trunks proves himself a worthy fighter and valuable member of the team. He is more Bulma than Vegeta. Yamcha can admit that he made a snap judgment and was wrong, even if the boy is Vegeta’s son.

Speaking of Vegeta, Yamcha cannot hide his surprise and repulsion when Vegeta returns from space. Not for Bulma or the baby, of course, but for the fight against the androids. He voices his disapproval quietly to Krillin, who nods in agreement but then says Vegeta should be helpful in the Cell Games. Yamcha is dismissive of Krillin’s suggestion – wasn’t it Vegeta who allowed Cell to become perfect out of sheer arrogance? Yamcha’s blind hatred of Vegeta causes him to miss Krillin’s ashamed expression and sudden silence on the matter.

The Cell Games are a failure in every sense of the word. Yamcha contributes nothing of substance and hates himself for it. He is no longer competitive amongst this assembly of aliens. While he is grateful to have such powerful friends he can rely on, he is upset that he cannot be more helpful. He trained for three years to defend against the androids, yet they are quickly dispatched by an even more powerful foe. He stands by to watch while one of his oldest friends sacrifices himself to save them all, and continues to watch while Cell reappears. Helpless. Yamcha is so helpless.

His eyes slide to Vegeta. He blames that arrogant bastard. If only Vegeta hadn’t gotten so cocky, hadn’t relished such an absurd challenge so much, he could have destroyed Cell before it got to this point. Yamcha knows Vegeta is strong – strong enough to defeat an imperfect Cell. But it is not enough for Vegeta to just win. Vegeta must win against the absolute best, or else it is not really a victory. He saw it when Vegeta first came to Earth. Vegeta defeated his own partner so he could take on the biggest opponent solo – and it was almost his downfall. Yamcha wonders if Vegeta realizes he is here with them because of Goku’s mercy. Yamcha wonders if Vegeta realizes he has created this impossibly horrific situation by letting Cell absorb Android 18.

It happens so fast Yamcha is barely able to follow. A ki blast. A sharp intake of breath precedes a slow, groaning exhale. And then Trunks is drifting backwards, his feet off the ground, his body tilting. He looks surprised but also devastated. Yamcha sees on his face that the boy knows what this means: he is dying.

His body hits the dirt. It feels surreal. Two deaths in a mere matter of minutes. Yamcha feels helpless.

There is a second or two of profound, painful silence while the groups processes what has happened, what it means. They stare at the boy – perhaps not really a boy anymore, but a young man, shot down – aghast.

The silence is broken by a guttural cry.

Yamcha’s head snaps up in concern, certain that Cell is preparing to destroy them all ruthlessly, but his eyes fall on Vegeta. Vegeta is enraged. His fury manifests itself in energy crackling all around him, an energy that turns his hair blonde and drives his power up higher than Yamcha had ever thought possible. Surely, this is the strongest Vegeta has ever been. Yamcha wonders when Vegeta achieved this kind of strength, and then realizes almost in the same moment that Vegeta’s rage has enabled him to unlock this power.

Vegeta’s assault on Cell is futile. But Yamcha realizes that some small part of the prince respects his son enough to avenge him, if not protect him. Some small part of Vegeta understands what it means to feel concern for people.

Yamcha wonders if Vegeta’s concern extends to Bulma.

Yamcha dismisses that thought. It is Vegeta’s fault any of this has happened in the first place. Vegeta enabled Cell to kill Goku; now, Cell has killed his son, too.

III.

Yamcha hasn’t planned to stop by, but finds himself only twenty minutes from the Capsule Corporation and decides he can spare a little time. It has been a while since he’s seen Bulma – indeed, since he has seen any of the Z Fighters – but Bulma has always been more receptive to unexpected visitors than some of the others. He veers off the highway, suddenly excited to see his old friend.

He is greeted at the door by Mrs. Briefs and Trunks, who is apparently always excited when Bulma’s old friends stop by, even if he doesn’t personally remember all of them. But Yamcha he remembers, albeit vaguely, and Trunks tells him all about his training while leading him into the living room.

Yamcha isn’t surprised that Trunks is shaping up to be quite the fighter. He is part Saiyan, after all, and Yamcha is certain that with Vegeta around, training takes a priority at the Briefs household.

The others had not expected Vegeta to stay after the Cell Games. They had expected him to depart the planet for good. With Goku gone, they reasoned Vegeta really had no reason to stay. Yamcha thought differently. He doubted Vegeta could leave his son so easily, especially after witnessing his display of grief, and so far Yamcha’s doubts have been proved correct. Vegeta still resides at the Capsule Corp., no matter how begrudgingly, and clearly takes at least some interest in training with his son. Maybe that is all the binds the two together, but Yamcha thinks perhaps that is all Vegeta is capable of. And it is better than nothing.

Vegeta is not in the living room when Yamcha enters, but Bulma is and she greets him warmly. Trunks stops chattering when he realizes Yamcha is no longer listening to him, and instead moves off to the corner of the room to play his GameBoy.

“How is he?” Yamcha asks, motioning towards Trunks.

“Good,” Bulma says with a smile. “He’s doing well at school, he’s got a lot of friends… He’s good. Vegeta says he’s very strong for a boy his age.” Her eyes light up when she says this last bit, and Yamcha knows she is proud of her son, even if she does not fully comprehend what it means to be “very strong for a boy his age.” The fact that Trunks has won Vegeta’s approval on this front is good news to her.

“That’s great,” Yamcha says. “And… how is Vegeta?” He asks more out of courtesy than curiosity. He no longer despises Vegeta the way he used to, but he is not the prince’s biggest fan. He will always see Vegeta as the man who killed him and then stole Bulma away from him, even if that is not quite how either of those events played out. But Yamcha acknowledges that Vegeta is part of Bulma’s life, and as long as he, too, is part of Bulma’s life, he has decided to tolerate him.

“Good,” Bulma says simply. Yamcha is unsure if she has nothing more to say because she simply doesn’t, or if she is refraining from providing details because she knows Yamcha isn’t particularly interested in hearing about them.

Yamcha intends to stay only for an hour or so, but he and Bulma get to talking and before either of them realize it, it is dinner time. She invites him to stay. He refuses initially, but when Trunks overhears their conversation, he excitedly tells Yamcha all about the meal and drags him to the kitchen. Yamcha finally concedes, giving in to the little boy.

Vegeta appears towards the end of the meal. He eyes Yamcha as he enters but says nothing. Trunks greets him happily, earning himself a grunt from his father. Bulma directs him to the food still out on the counter and inquires about his training. Monosyllabic as always, Vegeta has little to contribute to the discussion. Yamcha begins to feel uncomfortable, but Bulma and Trunks evidently don’t as they finish up their meals and continue chatting with him. Vegeta plunks down near Bulma and eats sullenly.

Once Trunks has licked his plate clean, he insists Yamcha face him in his current favourite video game. Yamcha tries to politely decline – he really should get going, he has already stayed far longer than he’d planned – but as he looks at Trunks’ eager face he thinks that he doesn’t get to see the kid much, and a few minutes longer wouldn’t hurt. Bulma shoos them out of the kitchen, saying she’ll clean things up, and Vegeta, as expected, doesn’t look up from his food.

Yamcha has had his ass sorely handed to him three times when he decides that he really, truly has to leave. Trunks frowns at him, an expression identical to Vegeta’s, but allows him to leave. Yamcha is heading back to the kitchen to make his goodbyes when the conversation inside makes him pause.

“When were you thinking of going?”

“In a few weeks.”

“Okay,” he hears Bulma say. “Let me know what upgrades you need and I’ll get them done as soon as possible.”

A grunt.

“Where are you planning on going? Anywhere in particular?”

“No.”

“Just around?”

Another grunt.

There is a pause in the conversation and Yamcha begins to enter the kitchen. He is halted by Bulma’s next question.

“Vegeta… when you go to space do you… blow up planets?” she asks haltingly. She is afraid to know the answer, but must have the truth.

“No.” The reply is immediate and sharp.

“Do you hurt people?” she asks next.

There is a half-second of silence, then, “Only people who try to hurt me first.”

Another silence descends, but Yamcha knows their conversation is not over. He takes a step back, thinking of just leaving so as not to interrupt this discussion. But he can’t – it’s too rude. Perhaps just one more game with Trunks would be enough time to let them finish.

“You would tell me if you ever did blow up a planet, right?” Bulma asks.

Yamcha stops again. Would Vegeta tell her? He doubts it. Vegeta is a ruthless killer. Yamcha is certain there is red in Vegeta’s recent past that he would never, ever speak of to Bulma. As the silence after her question grows, Yamcha becomes more certain.

“Yes.” Vegeta’s response is unexpected, but more startling is his tone. He says it softly, almost gently, but also truthfully.

“Okay.” Bulma’s tone has also softened, and Yamcha can hear the smile in her voice. “Just be careful, wherever you go. And don’t forget to tell me what you need for the ship.”

As the conversation ends, Yamcha is finally able to thank Bulma for the afternoon and for dinner, and heads on his way. His hands hold the steering wheel loosely, but he is unfocused on the drive. He had once asked Bulma if she loved Vegeta; at the time, she was unsure, but she didn’t think so. Now, he is certain. She does love him. And she trusts him wholeheartedly as well. She trusts that he will return from his space adventure, though god knows why Vegeta feels the need to go in the first place. She trusts his word that he doesn’t purge planets anymore. And, evidently from his willingness to share things with her, Vegeta seems to have put some trust in Bulma, as well.

Yamcha understands that Vegeta stayed on Earth because of Trunks; now he wonders if, somewhere along the way, Vegeta has fallen in love with Bulma, too.

IV.

The Lookout is crowded, but not crowded enough. Key members of their group are missing. Gohan has arrived now, but Goku and Dende are still missing. And Vegeta, too. Vegeta is now considered part of the team. Yamcha is not quite sure how that happened, especially after his killing spree at the World Martial Arts Tournament. He was under mind control, Yamcha is told; Yamcha isn’t sure what to believe, but what he knows is that Bulma is devastated that Vegeta is dead. He knows that when Vegeta’s bodiless voice rang out, imploring the people of Earth to lend their energy, Bulma became vibrant once more, even though she is certain it will be some time before the Dragon Balls are able to wish him back to life.

He looks over at Krillin and Android 18. Apparently all of their old enemies are shacking up with his teammates and friends, and everyone is okay with this. He supposes that if he has been able to accept 18 so readily, he should attempt to do the same for Vegeta.

Especially since, they are told, Vegeta didn’t just die. He killed himself. Bulma blanches at this, but Piccolo goes on to explain: this was not a cowardly exit, but rather a courageous one. It seemed to be the only solution to the Majin Buu problem, and Vegeta was willing to take that step to try to secure a future for the planet. More privately, he tells Bulma that Vegeta was willing to go through with it even after being informed he would be going to hell. Bulma cries harder.

Yamcha comforts Bulma. He is glad that, despite everything, they are still friends. He realizes that it is not often that ex-lovers are able to remain friendly once the flame burns out, but he and Bulma have been able to find comfortable footing. She is glad for this now, as she cries softly into his chest.

“We’ll wish him back,” Yamcha says.

“It’s not… really that,” Bulma admits, and shares the private knowledge Piccolo had imparted to her about his sacrifice.

This surprises Yamcha. Vegeta’s death he expects: the way the Saiyan rushes into battle, arrogantly trying to destroy everything in his path without consideration to their strength versus his, Yamcha knows Vegeta’s eventual defeat is inevitable. But for Vegeta to choose death, for Vegeta to identify that there is no other way out and accept that fate, is truly staggering. He thinks back to the man who first arrived on Earth, that maniacally angry asshole who had no goals beyond destroying all of them to make his wish, and even to the person Vegeta was just seven years ago, determined to prove his strength to everyone, crowing about becoming a Super Saiyan. He realizes that whoever Vegeta is today, he is not the same person he was then.

“Does he love you?” Yamcha asks suddenly.

The question takes Bulma by surprise. “Yes,” she says simply, and the confidence in her response is all Yamcha needs to be sure.

A genuine smile crosses his face. “Then I am happy for you,” he says, “and we will wish him back.”

Later, it is discovered that Vegeta’s life has already been restored. When Shenlong revived all of the good people who had been killed by Majin Buu, Vegeta had been one of them. He arrives at the Lookout sans halo, and Bulma and Trunks are positively beside themselves with joy.

Vegeta stands off to the side, allowing Trunks to pull at his hand but not encouraging it, and otherwise shows no affection to either his son or Bulma. But Yamcha knows, now, that Vegeta isn’t on Earth out of a sense of fatherly duty. He is on Earth because he is in love with a beautiful, intelligent woman, and because he cares for his son deeply. So Yamcha knows what to look for, and finally he catches the moment: in her terror over Buu’s unexpected presence on the Lookout, she reaches for Vegeta’s arm and clings to it tightly. Vegeta’s mouth pulls downward for a moment while she grabs him, but as everyone’s attention is diverted, Yamcha sees the prince’s eyes soften while he looks at her. Yamcha knows the look. Once, he had looked at Bulma like that. Yamcha knows that, in that moment, she is all Vegeta is seeing.

V.

Yamcha is a convert of sorts. It is interesting how easy it is for him to let go of his anger and resentment towards Vegeta once he learns that Vegeta is capable of love and compassion. Vegeta is not human, but this knowledge has humanized him in Yamcha’s mind. The murderous Vegeta seems like a different person altogether, some other creature that visited Earth once but is gone now. And perhaps that is not entirely untrue. Bulma does tend to have that affect on people: enabling them to become the people they strive to be while accepting them as the people they are.

Yamcha knows what many of the other Z Fighters do not – or perhaps are aware of but not quite so explicitly. He knows how much Vegeta cares about his family. He knows Vegeta willingly gives up days of training to accompany them on family trips. He knows Vegeta drives Trunks to school some mornings, picks him up some afternoons. He knows Vegeta occasionally allows himself to be roped into playing video games with Trunks, even though constantly losing is undoubtedly hard for the prince to swallow. Bulma shares these tidbits with him from time to time. He gets the feeling that she needs to share these developments with someone who knows Vegeta, someone who understands how huge these accomplishments are. Yamcha knows that there must be so much more that she doesn’t share.

Bulma and Vegeta are married now, as well. Yamcha did not attend. Nobody did. They wed quietly at City Hall one afternoon, Trunks sitting uncomfortably in his little suit, Dr. and Mrs. Briefs serving as witnesses. But Bulma sent a select few of her friends postcards to announce the union, and Yamcha felt genuinely happy for her.

It is weird for him to think of himself as being happy for the love of his life marrying someone else. But, he acknowledges, Bulma is no longer the love of his life, although there had been a time in his life when he would have refused to believe that. The postcard is stuck proudly on his refrigerator. Puar thinks it is there to help Yamcha come to terms with the fact that there is no getting Bulma back now. Yamcha has known this for a while. Yamcha thinks it is Puar that is having difficulty accepting that Vegeta is a permanent fixture.

But after recent events, even Puar has to admit that there is something to how completely Bulma and Vegeta seem to understand each other, how utterly Vegeta is willing to protect and avenge her. In his mind’s eye, Yamcha can still see Bulma skidding across the deck; can still hear Vegeta screaming at Beerus that that’s his Bulma.

Unlike last time, when Yamcha accidently stumbled upon Bulma’s secret while trying to win her back, Bulma calls Yamcha up to tell him that she is pregnant again.

“I wanted to formally announce it this time,” she says. “Last time I didn’t do so well with keeping people informed.”

Yamcha has to laugh. “Well, the first time the circumstances were a little bit different,” he says.

Bulma agrees. “This one was planned.”

This catches Yamcha off-guard. He can’t imagine Vegeta participating in a conversation about having another child. Certainly, he seems to have come around to Trunks in recent years, accepting that the boy is more than just a fighter. He thinks this must have been an uncomfortable conversation for Vegeta, being forced to listen to Bulma provide a long list of all the reasons they should have another child, with the prince likely agreeing just to get her to stop.

“Huh,” is all he says.

Bulma chuckles. “I didn’t know if it would be possible,” she continues. “I’m getting older, you know. But Vegeta wanted another one.”

“HUH.” In his surprise, the noise explodes from Yamcha’s throat.

Startled, Bulma pulls the phone from her ear for a moment. “Are you okay?” she asks. She is concerned.

“Vegeta wanted…?”

There is an awkward moment of silence. “Oh god, don’t tell anyone I told you that,” Bulma suddenly begs. “He’ll be so mad.”

“Uh…”

Across the room, Puar has stopped to stare as Yamcha becomes unable to form proper sentences.

“I think…” Bulma pauses, considering. “I think he realizes that he made some mistakes with Trunks. I mean, he’s doing so well lately. Something has changed in him recently. But I think he feels that he wants a second chance. Obviously he can’t undo what’s already done, all he can do is try to make up for it, but with a second kid it’s like a fresh start. He can be the dad he wants to be now, right from the beginning. Plus, shit, you should see the way he oogles at Pan when he thinks nobody is looking. I never pegged him for a father, but I’m not complaining.”

“Huh.”

When Bulla is born, Bulma furtively snaps a photo on her phone. She shows Yamcha later, swearing him to secrecy, and blackmailing him with a very unflattering video of himself should he ever deem it necessary to describe this picture to anyone else.

“How bad can it be?” Yamcha asks.

“No, the picture is wonderful,” Bulma clarifies, “but Vegeta doesn’t know it exists and I would like to keep it that way.”

Yamcha looks at the picture and sees a Vegeta he would never have recognized nearly fifteen years ago. He is holding his daughter perpendicular from his body, his hand gently supporting her head, the other arm tucked under her back. His head is tilted down towards her. A genuine smile graces his face and he looks years younger. The ever-present strain around his eyes is gone. He looks happy.

He returns the phone, his own eyes soft, and Bulma can’t hold back her grin. “Don’t tell anyone,” she repeats.

Yamcha won’t. He has never shared anything he has discovered about Vegeta with anyone. He has simply filed it away in his mind, trying to fit the pieces together to come to terms with the unexpected turns his life has taken. But he feels content with the knowledge he has been hoarding away. It completes a vivid and very comforting picture for Bulma.

“Hey,” he says suddenly, “remember when you first went out looking for the Dragon Balls? You were going to wish for the perfect boyfriend.”

Bulma laughs heartily. “Oh, god, yes,” she says. “I was so young and stupid.”

Yamcha grins, and laughs softly at the memory. “Well,” he says, “perhaps not so stupid.”

“No?”

He gestures vaguely to the outdoors, towards the gravity room where he knows Vegeta is training. “It came true, didn’t it?”

Bulma’s eyes widen in surprise. “I never thought I’d hear you refer to Vegeta as the perfect boyfriend.”

“Husband, I guess,” Yamcha amends. He shrugs. “I never thought I’d say that either. I never thought you’d ever be with anyone except me. But, I’ve accepted it. Although, I am obligated as your friend to say, however many years late this may be, that if Vegeta ever hurts you, I will kill him.”

Bulma bursts out laughing. “As if.”

Yamcha scowls at her playfully. “You two assholes are perfect for each other.”

In that moment, he realizes it is true.


End file.
